


The first step was loving you

by icemakestars



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Multi, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-24 06:16:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16634543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icemakestars/pseuds/icemakestars
Summary: "They told me that before I loved someone else I had to love myself. Bullshit. I've never loved myself, never even been kind to myself. But him? Fuck. I loved him so much, it eclipsed everything else."





	The first step was loving you

Whenever Erza went to a meeting for guild masters, time seemed to pass slower at Fairy Tail. Mirajane stared at the door every other minute, anxiously scrubbing the counter until she saw her love again. Gajeel was asleep on Juvia's lap as she read, and Lucy and Cana flirted shamelessly at the bar. Gray didn't know where Natsu was; he could not hear him, at least, so that meant that he was out of trouble. For now.

"I feel so fat today." Evergreen groaned, stretching over the counter. Mirajane smiled sweetly at her, but Bickslow was laughing before she had time to speak.

"What... just today?" He grinned, even when she began to beat him with her fan. Gray rolled his eyes at their antics, but took comfort in the fact that there was definitely no bad blood between the pair.

"Now, now, Ever, you know what they say! You can't love anyone else before you've loved yourself." Mirajane poured Laxus a drink, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and watching the guild's door.

"Bullshit." Gray spoke without realising it, shocking himself at how quickly the word was torn from his mouth. Every one at the bar quietened, except Laxus who left for the top floor, and Freed who followed. Mirajane blinked slowly, struggling to process how what she had said had caused such a reaction.

He coughed, embarrassed, and stared down at his drink.

"I've never loved myself, never even been kind to myself. But Jellal? I loved him so much that I almost forgot what hating myself felt like. Yeah, sometimes, it helps if you have a positive attitude, but equally having someone who loves you allows you to see the good qualities in yourself that you were maybe blind to before, and that kinda bond... is pretty incredible."

Lucy coos, and Cana tips her glass at him. They had spoken about this before, with Cana being his longest friend in the guild, and had spent many nights calming each other down from random attacks of anxiety. Depression was a fickle mistress, and every time you think that you have escaped her clutches, she claws you back in, screaming, and that's when you truly need someone who understands you.

That's what Gray had in Jellal; someone who had saw the extent of the scars on Gray's soul and still thought that he was beautiful.

Mirajane's eyes were alight, her mouth hanging open somewhere between adoration and disbelief, but her gaze was not aimed at him. Frowning, Gray turned to see Erza standing in the doorway, with an extremely flustered Jellal behind her.

Stepping into the guild, Erza clears her throat, walking to the bar and kissing Mira gently on the cheek.

"After the meeting was over I invited Jellal back to the guild. He'd like to stay for dinner." She glanced at Gray from the corner of her eye, but he was too focused on Jellal to notice.

His hands were stuffed into his pockets, gaze cast down, but not out of sorrow; a crimson blush had spread like wildfire along the expanse of his neck and face, and Gray followed it until he read Jellal's unruly hair. He looked up and their eyes met, and Gray wondered if he'd ever wanted to kiss someone this much before.

"I think he'd like to stay forever." Cana muttered into her drink, and then Lucy elbowed her, but they were both smirking.

Jellal claimed the seat next to Gray, and neither of them spoke. Instead, Jellal reaches over and takes Gray's hand, pressing each of the main knuckles to his lips in a slow, and deliberate, fashion.

"I feel the same way, Gray. Loving you eclipses everything else, and I could never truly hate something that you held dear."

Leaving one last kiss on Gray's wrist, he wound his arm around Gray's waist, and the younger man leaned into him gladly, hiding his embarrassment in Jellal's shoulder, and the lapel of his jacket.

Softly in his ear, Gray whispered,

"You'd better be staying at mine tonight."

Jellal catches his bottom lip between teeth, struggling to hold back a smile.

"Gladly." He says, too loud, and Mirajane gives Gray an inquisitive look that he does not respond to.

Jellal was correct; love done right can overpower anything else, but Gray could not find any space in his heart or mind or lungs to care. Everything was full of Jellal, and Gray thinks that, maybe, falling in love with the man really had allowed him to be a little kinder to himself, too.


End file.
